Apparatus for feeding cigarettes



April 18, 1967 H. A. STONE 3,314,523

APPARATUS FOR FEEDING CIGARETTES Filed Sept. 27, 1965 United States Patent 3,314,523 APPARATUS FOR FEEDING CIGARETTES Horace Alexander Stone, Deptford, London, England, assignor to The Molins Organisation Limited, London, England, a corporation of Great Britain Filed Sept. 27, 1965, Ser. No. 490,364 Claims priority, application Great Britain, Oct. 9, 1964, 41,327 64 4 Claims. (Cl. 198-33) This invention concerns improvements in or relating to apparatus for feeding cigarettes.

In various kinds of apparatus for handling cigarettes it is the practice to convey cigarettes sideways in succession (i.e. in a direct-ion normal to their axes) on a conveyor which may be an endless band or the like. The cigarettes may be arranged in a single row or in a number of rows one on top of another. An example of such apparatus is one in which cigarettes are conveyed in bulk from one or more cigarette-making machines towards one or more packing machines, such as the apparatus disclosed in the specification and drawings of United States application Ser. No. 547,702, filed Apr. 11, 1966, in the name of Alan Keith McCombie.

When cigarettes are so conveyed, particularly on a flat conveyor band or the like, it sometimes happens that a cigarette becomes skewed relatively to the others, so that it lies with its longitudinal axis inclined to or even in line with the direction of travel of the cigarettes. If this is not corrected, it may at some subsequent stage of the handling of the cigarettes result in damage not only to the skewed cigarette but to neighbouring cigarettes as well, or in some cases may even cause a jam.

According to the present invention a conveyor carrying a row of cigarettes in a direction normal to their longitudinal axes is arranged over a part of its run to be given a sideways tilt, to enable a skewed cigarette to roll oif the conveyor if it is otherwise free to do so.

In the case of a band conveyor this can be easily arranged by running the band over a surface which is raised at one side of the band above the normal band level, and slopes down to that level at the other side of the band. Preperably two such surfaces are provided, spaced apart along the length of the conveyor, and are arranged to slope in opposite directions, so that a skewed cigarette can have the opportunity of rolling in whichever direction is the more favourable for the particular position in which it happens to be orientated. Where side walls are provided alongside the conveyor, openings are provided adjacent the positions where the conveyor is tilted, and suitable receptacles may be provided to receive any cigarettes which roll ofi the conveyor.

Apparatus in accordance with the invention will now be described by way of example with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIGURE 1 is a side elevation, partly broken away,

FIGURE 2 is a plane of FIGURE 1, and

FIGURE 3 is a section on the line IIIIII, FIGURE 1.

A conveyor band 1 carries cigarettes sideways in succession, in the direction of the arrow in FIGURE 2, over a support 2 and between side walls 3. In the example shown, two rows of cigarettes are arranged one above the other on the band.

Two guide members 4 and 5 are secured to the support 2, at opposite sides of the support, beneath the band 1, so as to raise the band first at one side and then at the other. The upper surface of each guide member is curved as shown in FIGURE 1 and also slopes downwardly towards the opposite side of the support 2 as shown in FIGURE 3. Clips 6 and 7 are secured to the sides of the support 2 opposite the guide members 4 and 5 respectively, and extend just over the respective edges of the band 1 to restrain those edges of the band against upward movement.

These guide members raise first one side and then the other side of the band 1 as best shown in FIGURE 1, so that the band and the cigarettes carried on it are tilted first in one direction and then in the other.

The side walls 3 are cut away at that side towards which the band slopes downwardly in each case, and chutes 8 and 9 extend across these gaps to receptacles 10 and 11.

A cigarette C is shown lying askew on top of correctly arranged cigarettes at the position where the band has been tilted by the member 4, and this cigarette will roll down the slope, as indicated in FIGURE 3, and fall into the receptacle 10. If for some reason it fails to do this, it will probably roll in the opposite direction when the band is tilted by the member 5, and fall into the receptacle 11.

By tilting the band in opposite directions at spaced positions along its path, skewed cigarettes C are given the chance to roll in whichever direction they are more likely to do so in view of the position they happen to have assumed.

The device described, although it may not necessarily clear the band of all skewed cigarettes, at least considerably reduces the risk of damage and other difliculties due to the continued presence of skewed cigarettes during further handling of the cigarettes.

What I claim as my invention and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. Apparatus for conveying cylindrical rod-like articles in a direction transverse to their longitudinal axes compulsing a substantially horizontal conveyor band, at least two stationary guide means spaced from each other along said conveyor band on alternate sides thereof, each of said guide means being capable of continuously raising one side of said conveyor band above its normal level such that said conveyor band slopes downwardly towards its normal level at the opposite side thereof, whereby as said conveyor band carrying said articles moves across said guide means said articles are tilted in alternate directions enabling skewed articles to roll off the conveyor band.

2. Apparatus as claimed in claim 1 further comprising longitudinal walls extending along both sides of said conveyor band, each of said walls having openings therein adjacent the lower side of said conveyor band where said conveyor band slopes downwardly to enable said skewed articles to fall from said conveyor band.

3. Apparatus for conveying cylindrical rod-like articles in a direction transverse to their longitudinal axes comprising a substantially horizontal conveyor band, first stationary guide means capable of raising one side of said conveyor band above its normal level such that said conveyor band slopes downwardly towards its normal level at the opposite side thereof, second stationary guide means located downstream from said first guide means capable of raising the opposite side of said conveyor band above its normal level such that said conveyor band slopes downwardly towards its normal level at the first side thereof whereby as said conveyor band carrying said articles moves across said first and second guide means said articles are tilted first in one direction and then in the opposite direction enabling skewed articles to roll oil the conveyor band.

4. Apparatus as claimed in claim 3 further comprising longitudinal walls extending along both sides of said conveyor band, each of said walls having an opening 3 4 therein adjacent the lower side of said conveyor band 1,990,227 2/1935 Fairchild 198 29 Where said conveyor band slopes downwardly to enable 2,833,390 5/1958 Greulich 198187 X said skewed articles to fall from said conveyor band. FOREIGN PATENTS References Cited by the Examiner 5 1,071,920 3/1954 France.

UNITED STATES PATENTS EVON C. BLUNK, Primary Examiner.

326,246 9/1885 Richards 221136 X EDWARD A SROKA Examiner.

1,465,402 8/1923 Remington 198-29 

1. APPARATUS FOR CONVEYING CYLINDRICAL ROD-LIKE ARTICLES IN A DIRECTION TRANSVERSE TO THEIR LONGITUDINAL AXES COMPRISING A SUBSTANTIALLY HORIZONTAL CONVEYOR BAND, AT LEAST TWO STATIONARY GUIDE MEANS SPACED FROM EACH OTHER ALONG SAID CONVEYOR BAND ON ALTERNATE SIDES THEREOF, EACH OF SAID GUIDE MEANS BEING CAPABLE OF CONTINUOUSLY RAISING ONE SIDE OF SAID CONVEYOR BAND ABOVE ITS NORMAL LEVEL SUCH THAT SAID CONVEYOR BAND SLOPES DOWNWARDLY TOWARDS ITS NORMAL LEVEL AT THE OPPOSITE SIDE THEREOF, WHEREBY AS SAID CONVEYOR BAND CARRYING SAID ARTICLES MOVES ACROSS SAID GUIDE MEANS SAID ARTICLES ARE TILTED IN ALTERNATE DIRECTIONS ENABLING SKEWED ARTICLES TO ROLL OFF THE CONVEYOR BAND. 